Sedation Dentistry: A Good Way To Deal With Dental Anxiety

We are more familiar with dental anxiety than you might expect. Anxiety affects many of our patients, and yet many people who are fearful of coming to the dentist continue to visit our Louisiana dental center.

The reasons for that will vary from patient to patient. That’s why we offer a number of ways to ease anxiety at Bayou Dental Group. One of those options is sedation dentistry.

By scheduling a visit to our office, you can learn more about dental sedation and our other comfort options. Call 318-302-4236 or contact us online to set up a consultation.

A Personal Approach To Dental Anxiety

For Dr. David Finley, dental anxiety is not just something he helps patients cope with. It’s something he understands from personal experience.

As a child, he had a traumatic dental experience. As a result, he understands why some people have difficulty sitting down in a dentist’s chair. He has used his own experience as a guide how our staff should treat everyone who walks through our door.

Some experts have estimated that as many as 1 in 5 American adults avoids the dentist due to dental anxiety or fear. Having those feelings is OK. Millions of people have similar concerns.

Dr. Finley and our team at Bayou Dental Group want to help you find a way to manage that anxiety or fear. We want to help you keep your mouth as healthy as possible. We also what you to feel as comfortable and relaxed as you can be during this process.

This is where our comfort and sedation options are helpful.

Call us to learn more about how our patients put those options to use.

Sedation Dentistry For Dental Anxiety

Why do you feel anxious about coming to the dentist? While no two patients are the same, some concerns are more common than others. Here are a few that come up frequently:

➤ Fear of “the drill”

➤ Fear of needles

➤ Fear gagging

➤ Fear of pain

The oral sedation dentistry that we offer at Bayou Dental Group can address each and every one one of those concerns and many more.

Before your appointment, you will take a single dose of medication. We will wait for the medicine to take effect before we begin.

While you are not completely asleep, one of the common side effects of sedation dentistry is that patients do not remember much if anything about their dental procedures. This way you won’t recall which pieces of dental equipment were used during your visit.

Sedation dentistry has an analgesic effect as well. This means you won’t feel any pain while you are under the effects of the medication. Since these effects last for hours at a time, you will be finished with your treatment long before the sedation wears off.

This brings us to an important fact that we should mention. You must arrange for a family member or friend to bring you to and from your dental visit if you undergo sedation dentistry.

Back to the list of concerns, sedation dentistry also will prevent you from gagging during your cleaning or other procedure. We think you will agree that this is benefit both for you and the person cleaning your teeth.

Dental Anxiety And Comfort Options

Some patients prefer to be alert and awake during their treatment. Part of their dental anxiety comes from a fear of losing control.

First and foremost, we want you to know that Bayou Dental Group is a patient-centered dental practice. What does that mean? That means you can ask to take a break if you need one.

It also means we can provide you with comfort options to help you relax while you are in one of our comfortable dentist’s chairs.

If you would like something to take your mind off your dental treatment, we can help with that, too. Many patients listen to music or watch movies while they are receiving their dental care.

All you have to do is ask if you believe the comfort options mentioned above could help you. Likewise, let us know us know if there is something we can do to help you relax.

From Dental Anxiety To Relaxed Care

We know from experience that dental anxiety is not something that will go away after a single visit to our dentist office. We also know that with repeated, regular care, each visit gets a little easier.

If our sedation dentistry, our comfort options, or both can help you, then we are happy to provide them.

To make an appointment, contact our dentist office in Monroe, LA, online or by calling 318-302-4236.